Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player WDAVN00BN - Retail

Give this a Serious look!

Reviewed By: jj on 11/10/2008

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

Pros: Now THIS is what I've been looking for in a media player, at the right price! I had previously purchased a different media player that didn't live up to my expectations. All I can say is give this puppy a serious look. Its newly on the market and plays my movie files beautifully. I could go on and on about it, but if you visit a couple of sites, they'll explain more about what this can and cannot do. Maddhat dot com gives a good in depth review. forum dot videohelp dot com also has a good thread going, just search for the model number.
1. HDMI output, Toslink optical audio out.
2. Two USB 2.0 ports (one is on the side, the pictures don't show that
3. Smallish remote, but it works fine and all the buttons actually do something, compared to the other Media player I had ordered and returned cause it sucked.
4. Firmware upgrade capability. But none yet available since its so new.
5. LOTS of options available for setup of video/audio/picture viewing. Does slideshows.

Cons: 1. Mine didn't come with a manual (maybe I didn't look hard enough in the box?). But go to WD website and you can download the manual. Its actually very good and quite extensive with detailed info on all the features.

Other Thoughts: 1. Check out other websites for reviews, and check out WD manual online. This should cinch the deal for you if you're looking for an inexpensive MP.
2. Now I don't have to build a HTPC just to play my ripped and downloaded movies! That money is now going towards my new plasma TV!
3. Got it at a B&M store for just under a benjamin. But regardless of price, buy it, you won't be disappointed.
4. Ummm...this puppy is small, check out the dimensions. It basically fits in the palm of your hand.
5. The remote has an 'eject' button, which will allow you to shut down your USB device (if you have 2 connected, it will let you select either one) before you disconnect it. This is actually pretty handy.
6. Okay, so I'm ranting. I'm very happy with this product. Does more than I'll probably ever use it for. Packed with features, does the job very well. I love it.
'Nuff said.

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Buy it

Reviewed By: Freedomdog on 8/10/2009

Tech Level: average - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Plays lots of different media

Cons: can't make a play list on WDTV

Other Thoughts: I had wanted this for a while and finally got it for Father's day. I bought the WD TV, a 1TB WD Book & HDMI cable from Newegg and got a great deal. I love it! I have loaded about 400GB of media on it so far and watch it every day. My whole family uses it. I read many review and was very excited about the concept but was not sure how it would work. I am not super techy but it is very easy to use.

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Carefull !!!! Warranty issues

Reviewed By: Kevin on 1/28/2010

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Newegg came through with quick shipping as usual. As for the Player, It was very nice while it worked.

Cons: After about 4 month the unit started corrupting every drive and thumbdrive connected. I went through the RMA process with Western Digital. After they had the drive for about a month with no status updates I called... Well it turned out the drive was flagged as "labels missing or device damage"??? Turns out they were unable to read the serial # due to it being smeared? I then asked if they could obtain they serial by plugging the unit in and checking the product info menu and was told "no we can't" After some complaining the WD supervisor told me she would request that the item be excepted and a new unit sent out and she would let me know what happens...

Other Thoughts: Check your barcode \ serial # on your unit... if it's not perfect, try and get an RMA from newegg. I've purchased too many WD products to be screwd over on my first warranty issue. I'll start building PC's without WD inside.

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Reviewed By: on 1/28/2010

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: more than 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: This little box brings ALOT of entertainment. Great picture and video (depending on the source format) and the menu is very user friendly.

Cons: Nothing really that affects the control of the device.

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Good Media Player

Reviewed By: mrstan on 1/19/2010

Tech Level: high - Ownership: more than 1 year

Pros: *The DLNA part allows equally credentialed units to "talk"
*Interface is easy to understand and manipulate
*Very intuitive in terms of setup and connectivity

Cons: *Search is a little cumbersome for a movie in a mass of them
*Sometimes a little flakey when others are on the network (PCs)
*Some ambiguity in DLNA certification (twist the standard)

Other Thoughts: This unit works much better than a many that I have tried in the past. The DLNA certification is probably the most important factor for this kind of device. DLNA is a standard that allows all DLNA machines to communicate on a basic level so as to promote "plug-and-play". Connecting a NAS with a media server on it allows the device to access terribytes of media like music, pictures, and movies on your TV. The front-end (user interface) is a little difficult to manage in that it scrolls line by line instead of jumping between folders, so getting to your movie is a little time consuming to navigate (but not too bad though)...* should not complain for having so many movies to look though though :-)
The unit looks on any devices (like computers or mass storage) with a DLNA media server on it. It will tell you what devices it finds so you can look though the shared files on them (organization of your files on the source is key here by the way for any media device so you can find them).

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